How You Can Become a More Confident Public Speaker

Commanding a room is no easy feat, but it’s a requirement for public speaking. I know what you’re thinking, “but I’m not a public speaker!” You may not think you’re a public speaker, but it can come up in almost any workplace, whether it’s leading a small staff meeting or presenting at a giant conference.

Ricardo Dominguez, a Tucson native, was interested in improving his presentation skills. As a college counselor and alumni adviser at San Miguel High School, he inspires and guides first-generation and low-income students through the college application process.

To help improve his presentation skills, Ricardo applied for and was selected to participate in the Spotlight Presentation Academy – a speakers bootcamp created by Logitech®, in partnership with TED®, the nonprofit organization that hosts the popular TED Talks.

As part of the Academy, Ricardo traveled to New York City, and worked directly with experts from Logitech and TED, where he was guided through a comprehensive curriculum, covering content, storytelling immersion and structure, while reinforcing the importance of having the right technology, like the Logitech Spotlight Presentation Remote, with you.

With these tips in his back pocket, Ricardo sat down with Logitech and TED to tell us how improving his public speaking skills can help change the lives of kids around Tucson.

Here are Ricardo’s four favorite tips for becoming a more confident public speaker:

No. 1: Remember why the audience is there

In Ricardo’s case, the presentation isn’t about him, it’s about what he can do for the students and their families. Many of these students will be the first in their family to go to college, so this is new territory. Ricardo’s goal is to remind them of this goal: to help these students build a better future. Focus should be on the audience – their needs and what they’ll take away.

No. 2: Be energetic and move with intention

Surprising to some, there’s a middle ground between a speaking posture that’s stiff as a board and limp as a noodle. Move lightly, be energetic and speak with passion. Ricardo learned that these attributes can be amplified by using Logitech’s Spotlight™ Presentation Remote – a presentation remote that gives speakers full control of the presentation. With Spotlight, Ricardo can highlight and magnify portions of his presentation on stage with its special Spotlight feature, which helped eliminate the stress of what’s happening on the screen behind him, and focus on his movement and posture with full control and a smooth delivery.

This ranges from the clothes you wear to the tools you use. When Ricardo is speaking to a group of people that are looking to him to be a leader, delivering a strong message requires appropriate, professional clothing and and the right technology. Ricardo mentioned that stepping onto the stage with slacks, a dress shirt and the Spotlight Presentation Remote helped his confidence as he was delivering his message.

Photo Credit: Ryan Lash/TED

No. 4: Visuals should complement, not dominate, the presentation

The focus of a presentation should be on what the speaker is saying, not what’s going on in the background. Creating the perfect visuals is step one, while utilizing the visuals is step two.

Ricardo learned how to create visuals that complemented his presentation without being overwhelming. With big, beautiful photography and clear typeface, he created more specific emotions in the audience. And Ricardo didn’t just drop and stretch those images and hoped they looked good, he used the “Magnify” feature on Spotlight to blow up important visual details on stage without distorting the original images.

Ricardo’s mission hasn’t changed, but his effectiveness has grown by leaps and bounds. With his newfound confidence, skills and presentation tools, he’s ready to guide students toward collegiate success.

Visit the Logitech website if you’re interested in crushing your presentations with the Spotlight Presentation Remote.

Focused on innovation and quality, Logitech designs personal peripherals to help people enjoy a better experience with the digital world. We started in 1981 with mice, which (new at the time) provided a more intuitive way of interacting with a personal computer. We became the worldwide leader in computer mice, and have reinvented the mouse in dozens of ways to match the evolving needs of PC and laptop users.